Process for treating fibers



Aug. 15, 1967 v. T. FAHRINGER 3,335,465

PROCESS FOR TREATING FIBERS Filed Feb. 28, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Maren 7:514 fivsze ATTORNEYS Aug. 15, 1967 v. T. FAHRINGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 23 Filed Feb. 28, 1964 INVENTOR Zara? 7." 5194/4 65? m grm' ATTORNEY5 United States Patent 3,335,465 PROCESS FOR TREATING FIBERS Victor T. Fahringer, Clarirsville, Va., assignor to Burlington Industries, Inc, Greensboro, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 348,137 18 Claims. (Cl. 1955) The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating textile fibers with a vaporizable or dispersable agent e.g. steam, and more particularly for the accelerated aging of wool top or like textile slivers in a continuous manner.

As used herein, the term aging refers to operations which are intended primarily to effect relaxation of crimp-recovery stresses and of strains imposed on the fibers during processing as opposed to conditioning which, as understood in the art, is primarily concerned with restoring or changing the moisture content of the material being processed.

Although the invention is particularly adapted for, and will be discussed with regard to the treatment of wool sliver (i.e. a strand of approximately parallel wool fibers) it should be recognized that the invention could advantageously be employed in the processing of fibers in other forms such as webbing or batting and with other varieties of fibers or blends of fibers.

When wool, as well as other textiles, undergo process ing including the parallelization of fibers, as by carding, gilling or other combing operations, the fibers are often strained due in part to the frictional drag exerted by adjacent fibers on one another during parallelization.

Between operations sliver or other intermediate product so formed is often wound into a package or into a storage container such as a sliver can in a stressed condition. Experience has shown that were sliver to be immediately utilized after the parallelization process, before stress relaxation and strain recovery has taken place, much time would be lost. This is because the yarn formed from the sliver would break frequently during spinning. Also snarling of twisted yarns and uneveness become significant problems.

Therefore, it has been considered beneficial to allow stock of partially processed textile fibers, particularly wool sliver, to age for periods up to several days before subsequent processing such as condensing the stock to roving or spining the roving to produce yarn. During storage, the stress in the individual fibers which would tend to return them to their natural crimped condition, were the fibers separated from one another, tends to gradually relax. In addition, those stresses which were imposed on the fibers during processing tend to gradually relax and strain recovery occurs.

The conventional practice just discussed is quite time consuming due to the necessary long holdup of wool or other fiber during the textile manufacturing process which results in costly, discontinuous operation. This long holdup has caused increasing concern among textile producers as the development of other fibers has made the employment of greater efficiency necessary. Accordingly, much effort has been expended toward effectively aging wool and other textile intermediate products so as to improve the drawing and spinning characteristics and other properties thereof. However, there is still considerable room for improvement in this area particularly in the accomplishing of satisfactory stress relaxation in an accelerated manner.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide certain improvements in the aging or stress relaxation of wool slivers or other like fiber assemblies in an accelerated manner whereby wool slivers or the like may be continuously, efficiently and economically aged so as to have improved performance in further processmg.

It is a further object of the invention to provide certain improvements relating to the application of vaporizable dispensible agents to textile fibers, such as the application of agents including steam to wool sliver or like fiber assemblies, whereby they become effectively aged in an accelerated manner.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of certain improvements relating to a novel aging process and apparatus which are operable to furnish aged fiber products having improved characteristics, e.g. improved spinning performance when compared with conventionally aged products.

A general object of the invention is to provide a very effective method and apparatus for continuously applying vaporized liquid to substantially the entire exterior surface of a moving strand of hydroscopic material, and a more specific object is to provide an improved method and apparatus for effecting the permanent relaxation of crimp stresses in a continuous wool sliver by passing the sliver into and from a container which encloses a saturated steam atmosphere and then placing the steamed sliver under tension for at least a short period of time, the tension preferably being sufficient to suppress a major portion of the natural fiber crimps eg about /3 of the crimps, and the relaxation sufficient to permanently remove up to all of the suppressed crimps.

These and other objects of the invention and the scope of its applicability are more fully explained in the following detailed description, reference being made to the attached drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. It should be understood that this embodiment is illustrated in order that the principles of the invention might be more readily comprehended rather than to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat schematic side elevation view of an aging box according to the principles of the invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a in FIGURE 1.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, aging apparatus embodying the principles of this invention is illustrated at 10 and is arranged interposed in an otherwise conventional gill box.

In a conventional gilling operation sliver such as is illustrated at 20 would be fed by a pair of back rollers into faller bars which further parallelize the fibers and convey them to the front drafting rollers.

In a conventional gilling operation, the drafted fiber assembly would then pass under a guide and stop motion bar and through a reversing trumpet which imparts an alternate S and Z twist to the parallellized and drafted fiber assembly.

From the reversing trumpet the fiber assembly is normally passed to package forming means such as ball winding rollers which rotate and reciprocate axially to wind the sliver into a cross-wound cylindrical package which in the wool processing industry is termed top. The top is wound into a cylindrical core or arbor which is customarily removed from the top when the desired top size has been reached and the top ball is doifed.

The apparatus of the invention can be conveniently interposed between the stop motion bar and the reversing trumpet of the gill box just discussed although as will be appreciated this is by no means the only point in the processing of such fibers that the apparatus and method of the invention can be advantageously employed.

In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus 10, a generally rectangular closed container 12 is depicted which includes two laterally spaced, vertically elongated comperspective view of the aging box shown partments 14 and 16 which define a steaming chamber 18 between themselves, the chamber 18 also being bounded by the walls 21 of the container 12.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 2, the inner walls 22 and 24 of the compartments 14 and 16 respectively are perforated, having holes 26 therethrough which may typically be one-eighth inch diameter holes set on quarterinch centers. A steam source (not shown) is communicated to each compartment 14, 16 through the top thereof as by conduits 28 which preferably have control means such as needle valves 30 thereon. The bottom of each compartment is provided with a condensate drain 32 whose purpose will become apparent.

A sheet-like member 34 extends across the bottom of the container 12 and may conveniently project beyond the front 36 and rear 38 of the container 12 to receive first and second scroll-like sliver guides 4-0 and 42 which are conveniently arranged to effect a substantially right angle direction change in sliver movement and are secured to the bottom sheet 34. At the point where the first, or inlet, sliver guide intersects the sheet 34, an inlet pot eye 44 is mounted in the sheet in position to receive a relatively broad band of sliver or like fiber assembly from the guide 40 in the direction of the arrows in the figures and form it into a more narrrow band traveling vertically upwardly.

A second or outlet pot eye 4-6 is mounted in the bottom sheet 34 between the compartments 14 and 16 at the point where the second or outlet scroll-like guide 42 intersects the bottom sheet 34.

A transversely elongated slot 48 is preferably formed through the top of the container 12 between the compartments 14 and 16 and communicates the interior of the chamber 18 with the exterior of the apparatus. Scrolllike sliver guide 50 surmounts the container 12 in position to receive sliver from the entrance pot eye 44, reverse its direction while spreading it out somewhat and pass it downwardly into the chamber through the slot 48.

The second or outlet sliver guide 42 is arranged to receive the downwardly traveling sliver after its passage through the steaming chamber 18, change its direction and direct it into tensioning and temporary storage means such as the reversing funnel-like trumpet 52 and balling rollers 54. Heating means such as a steam coil 56 is disposed adjacent the outlet sliver guide for reasons hereinafter made more apparent and additional heating means may be disposed in a like manner adjacent the guides 40, 4-2, and 50 is illustrated schematically as being flat in transverse cross-section, each or any of them may in fact advantageously have a concave cross-section to aid in preventing over-broadening of the traveling sliver 20.

Advantageously, the container 12 is provided with a hinged plate 58 hinged to the container top adjacent the slot 48 and arranged to ride gently on the sliver as it passes into the treating chamber 18 to avoid loss of steam from the top of the chamber operation.

In using the apparatus shown in FIGURES l and 2 to age wool sliver, in an accelerated and continuous manner the augmented gill box is threaded with sliver as illustrated, the sliver is continuously advanced in the direction of the arrows illustrated, and steam is introduced to the compartments 14 and 16 through the conduits 28. Although the operating conditions depend upon the particular results desired as outlined below the temperature in the treating zone or chamber 18 may be in the range between 190 and 230 F. with about 210 F. being preferred. This is accomplished using substantially dry steam at sufiicient pressure, for instance at 8-12 p.s.i.g. introduced through needle valves 30 to the compartments '14 and 16.

As the compartments fill with steam, the entrained water condenses therefrom and is removed through the drains 32. It is essential that the steam contacting the sliver not carry a substantial amount of entrained water as this would tend to cause breakage of the sliver, and

d. even if breakage did not occur, excessive dampness would result in undesirable toughening and possible sticking of the sliver as it subsequently came into sliding contact with the guide 42 and outlet pot eye 46. The drier steam is then passed substantially horizontally through the holes 26 into contact with the sliver. It is of essential importance to note that in the zone or treating chamber where the sliver is being steamed, the sliver is running free under the tensioning effect of the trumpet 52 and the balling head 54, and is not in contact with any rotating parts, in sliding contact with stationary parts or with substantial portions of the perforated inner walls 22, 24. Due to this fact there is no danger that treated fibers will stick to the apparatus in the treating zone and build up to a point Where the apparatus needs to be shut down and cleaned.

As the sliver of, for instance, 64s Nobel combed wool moves generally horizontally from the drafting rollers into contact with the inlet sliver guide 40 it may typically have a width of 5-6 inches. The sliver is redirected by the guide 40 so that it moves upwardly through the inlet pot eye 44 and is shaped by the generally cylindrically shaped pot eye into a relatively circular cross-sectioned assembly which somewhat reduces the surface area of the sliver in contact with the scroll-like guide 5t). As the sliver passes around the guide 50 and is redirected thereby downwardly into the treating zone, the sliver spreads out somewhat, as to a width of 2-3 inches. This width is maintained through the treating zone, thus assuring adequate contact of the steam with the individual fibers in the moving fiber assembly during their passage through the treating zone while minimizing the contact of the treated fibers with the apparatus.

The treated sliver passes through the outlet pot eye 46 and around the sliver guide 42. By virtue of heating of the guide 42 such as by steam coil 56, moisture which may have condensed on the sliver in the treating zone tends to become vaporized or diffused and the treated sliver passes through the tension providing reversing trumpet, shown schematically at 52 in FIGURE 1, to the balling rollers 54 where it is formed into top. The temperature of the wool sliver employed above as an example upon reaching the ball forming point is typically 146" F. and the moisture regain approximately l2l8 percent.

The steamed top, according to the present invention, is then stored for a short period of time, for instance 2-4 hours or over night throughout which the fibers, brought to a low crimp level by the steaming and storage under tension undergo fiber stress relaxation and strain recovery so that the crimp level of fibers removed from the ball after the relatively short storage period is significantly lower than that of unaged sliver. During this storage period heat and some moisture is gradually lost to the surrounding atmosphere, or may be more rapidly removed, so that the sliver passing from storage to the next process step is composed of fibers having a configuration and strain level approximating that which they attained during the steaming and relaxation process according to the invention. Furthermore, the sliver steamed and stored in tension according to the present invention has been demonstrated to have superior drawing and spinning properties, such as evenness and end breakages and fly reduction than similar yarn produced from conventionally aged fiber assemblies. In addition the dye uptake of yarn produced from sliver aged in an accelerated manner according to this inven tion compares quite favorably with that of unaged yarn, whereas that produced from conventionally aged sliver is not so acceptable due to compression of the exterior surfaces of the fibers during their long storage under tension.

As already outlined the present invention is not limited in subject to the steam aging of wool sliver as an intermediate step in a gilling operation with the intermediate product being wool top, but other vaporizable agents such as lubricants and antistatic agents may be employed in addition to or in substitution for steam; other fibers or blends of fibers beside wool may advantageously be processed and quickly aged using the principles of this invention; and the assembly being treated may alternately be the product of other apparatus beside a gill box such as the product of a so-called second finisher gill box or the input to or output of other carding and combing apparatus. Because of the relatively short storage period necessary in utilizing the present invention the steamed sliver need not be balled, but may be otherwise suitably tensioned; and continuously delivered to subsequent processing operations without breaking the sliver.

It should now be realized that the principles of the invention have been set forth with sufiicient clarity the accomplishment of the objects of the invention as set forth at the beginning of this discussion.

It should also be recognized that the degree of strain recovery and stress relaxation provided by the present invention may be varied by the choice of values for the treating factors which include the length of path and speed of the sliver through the hot moist treating zone, the thickness and shape of the sliver, the amount of heat and moisture added to the sliver in the treating zone, the amount of tension placed on the sliver after the steaming treatment and the time, temperature and humidity employed in the storage portion of the process.

Accordingly, as many modifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated to demonstrate the principles thereof will occur to those skilled in the fiber processing art, the invention should not be limited by the embodiments shown but encompass all within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for continuously treating elongated textile fiber assemblies with a vaporizable agent comprising: means defining a substantially closed container; means defining at least one compartment in the container and a treating chamber within the container adjacent said compartment; means providing a plurality of openings communicating the chamber with the compartment substantially throughout the length of the compartment; conduit means communicating with the compartment in the upper region of the compartment for supplying vaporized treating agent to the compartment; means defining a fiber assembly inlet through one surface of the container communicating with the treating chamber; mean defining a fiber assembly outlet through an opposing surface of the container communicating with the treating chamber; said inlet means and said outlet means being in cooperating relationship to permit the free running of said fiber assembly thereinbetween; and means for continuously conducting said elongated textile fiber assembly through said inlet, the treating chamber and the outlet whereby vaporized agent passing from the compartment through said openings into the chamber comes into intimate contact with substantially the entire exterior surface of the assembly within the chamber, and a first fiber assembly guide means mounted on said container adjacent said fiber assembly inlet, and a second fiber assembly guide means mounted on said container adjacent the fiber assembly outlet, and wherein said first fiber assembly guide means and said second fiber assembly guide means are so mounted relative to one another and to said treating chamber that the elonagted textile fiber assembly does not contact the walls of said treating chamber while passing from said first fiber assembly guide means to said sec-0nd fiber assembly guide means.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 additionally comprising means for collecting the treated fiber assembly under tension.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the vaporizable agent comprises steam and the container includes drain means communicating with the compartment in the lower region of the compartment for withdrawing condensed steam therefrom, whereby entrained moisture carried in the steam coming into the compartment in the upper region thereof moves downwardly to the drain means while the stream passes through the plural openings into the treating chamber.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein the fiber assembly comprises generally parallelized fibers having a natural crimp and including means for collecting the treated fiber assembly and tensioning the assembly sufficiently to suppress a major portion of the natural crimp of said fibers.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the collecting and tensioning means includes a reversing funnel and a balling head.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 additionally comprising pivotable means mounted on the container adjacent the fiber assembly inlet and arranged to ride lightly on the incoming fiber assembly to prevent excessive escape of vaporized treating agent from the compartment through said inlet.

7. Apparatus for continuously treating elongated textile fiber assemblies with steam comprising: means defining a substantially closed container; means defining at least one compartment in the container and a treating chamber within the container adjacent said compartment; means providing a plurality of openings communicating the chamber with the compartment; conduit means communicating with the compartment in the upper region of the compartment for supplying steam to the compartment; means defining a fiber assembly inlet through one surface of the container communicating with the treating chamber; means defining a fiber assembly outlet through an opposing surface of the container communicating with the treating chamber; said inlet means and said outlet means being in cooperating relationship to permit the free running of said fiber assembly thereinbetween; and means for continuously conducting said elongated textile fiber assembly through said inlet, the treating chamber and the outlet whereby steam passing from the compartment through said openings into the chamber comes into intimate contact with substantially the entire exterior surface of the assembly within the chamber; means adjacent the container for heating the treated fiber assembly to dissipate condensed treating agent from the exterior surface of the treated fiber assembly and diffuse the agent within the assembly and wherein the container includes drain means communicating with the compartment in the lower region of the compartment for withdrawing condensed steam therefrom, whereby entrained moisture carried in the steam coming into the compartment in the upper region thereof moves downwardly to the drain means while the steam passes through the plural openings into the treating chamber.

8. Apparatus for continuously treating elongated textile fiber assemblies with steam comprising: means de fining a substantially closed container; means defining at least one compartment in the container and a treating chamber within the container adjacent said compartment; means providing a plurality of openings communicating the chamber with the compartment; conduit means communicating with the compartment in the upper region of the compartment for supplying steam to the compartment; means defining a fiber assembly inlet through one surface of the container communicating with the treating chamber; means defining a fiber assembly outlet through an opposing surface of the container communicating with the treating chamber; said inlet means and said outlet means being in cooperating relationship to permit the free running of said fiber assembly thereinbetween; and means for continuously conducting said elongated textile fiber assembly through said inlet, the treating chamber and the outlet whereby steam passing from the compartment through said openings into the chamber comes into intimate contact with substantially the entire exterior surface of the assembly within the chamber; means for flattening said fiber assembly whereby the elongated fiber assembly passes through the chamber in a generally flattened condition and a broader surface thereof is presented toward said generally vertical wall and whereby the steam directly impinges upon said broader surface; and wherein the container includes drain means communicating with the compartment in the lower region of the compartment for withdrawing condensed steam therefrom, whereby entrained moisture carried in the steam coming into the compartment in the upper region thereof moves downwardly to the drain means while the steam passes through the plural openings into the treating chamber; and wherein the openings are formed through a generally vertical wall separating the compartment and the chamber.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 additionally comprising a second compartment within the container adjacent the treating chamber and laterally spaced from the first compartment; means defining a plurality of openings communicating the second compartment with the chamber; means for supplying steam to the second chamber whereby the second broader surface .of the generally flattened fiber assembly is directly impinged upon by steam from the second compartment.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein the fiber assembly outlet means comprises a generally cylindrical pot eye.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 additionally comprising first scroll-like fiber assembly direction changing means mounted on the container and adapted to receive the assembly direction changing means mounted on the container and adapted to receive the assembly traveling in a generally horizontal direction and redirect it to a generally vertical direction passing upwardly toward the top of the container; second scroll-like fiber assembly direction changing means mounted on the container adjacent the fiber assembly inlet to the chamber and arranged to receive the assembly traveling in a generally vertically upward direction and redirect it to a generally vertically downward direction and into said inlet; and third scrolllike fiber assembly direction changing means mounted on the container adjacent the fiber assembly outlet from the chamber and arranged to receive the assembly traveling in a generally vertically downward direction and redirect it to a generally horizontal direction of travel.

12. A method .of continuously treating longitudinally elongated textile fiber assemblies of the type described with a vaporizable agent comprising the steps of: (a) continuously moving said assembly while running freely through a zone, said zone having an atmosphere saturated with said agent in a vaporized state, said agent being in intimate contact with substantially the entire exterior surface of the assembly, (b) diifusing the treating agent throughout the assembly, (c) thereafter removing from the surface of the assembly condensed treating agent; and (d) collecting the treated assembly under tension.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the treating agent is dry steam.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the longitudinally elongated fiber assembly comprises generally parallelized wool fibers.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14 wherein the steam supplies sufiicient heat and moisture to maintain the temperature in the treating zone between F. and 230 F. and to give the fiber assembly emerging from treating Zone amoisture regain of about 12 to 18 percent.

16. A method as set forth in claim 14 wherein the col lected, treated fiber assembly is stored at tensions sufficient to repress at least two-thirds of the natural crimp of the individual wool fibers, and the assembly is continued in tension a sufiicient time to provide substantial permanent relaxation of said crimp.

17. A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the degree of crimp relaxation of the individual wool fibers closely approaches two-thirds of their natural crimp.

18. A method as set forth in claim 14 wherein the longitudinally elongated wool comprising fiber assembly is a sliver and is collected under tension in the form of wool top for storage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,910,761 11/1959 Blez 28-62 3,112,083 11/ 1963 Werner 24254.4 3,263,279 8/ 1966 Chaikins et al. 1966 FOREIGN PATENTS 799 1853 Great Britain. 7,003 1910 Great Britain. 15,852 1893 Great Britain. 574,341 1/ 1946 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. P. PAW, I. C. \VADDEY, Assistant Examiner's. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING ELONGATED TEXTILE FIBER ASSEMBLIES WITH A VAPORIZABLE AGENT COMPRISING; MEANS DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED CONTAINER; MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE COMPARTMENT IN THE CONTAINER AND A TREATING CHAMBER WITHIN THE CONTAINER ADJACENT SAID COMPARTMENT; MEANS PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS COMMUNICATING THE CHAMBER WITH THE COMPARTMENT SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE COMPARTMENT; CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMPARTMENT IN THE UPPER REGION OF THE COMPARTMENT FOR SUPPLYING VAPORIZED TREATING AGENT TO THE COMPARTMENT; MEANS DEFINING A FIBER ASSEMBLY INLET THROUGH ONE SURFACE OF THE CONTAINER COMMUNICATING WITH THE TREATING CHAMBER; MEANS DEFINING A FIBER ASSEMBLY OUTLET THROUGH AN OPPOSING SURFACE OF THE CONTAINER COMMUNICATING WITH THE TREATING CHAMBER; SAID INLET MEANS AND SAID OUTLET MEANS BEING IN COOPERATING RELATIONSHIP TO PERMIT THE FREE RUNNING OF SAID FIBER ASSEMBLY THEREINBETWEEN; AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY CONDUCTING SAID ELONGATED TEXTILE FIBER ASSEMBLY THROUGH SAID INLET, THE TREATING CHAMBER AND THE OUTLET WHEREBY VAPORIZED AGENT PASSING FROM THE COMPARTMENT THROUGH SAID OPENINGS INTO THE CHAMBER COMES INTO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE ASSEMBLY WITHIN THE CHAMBER, AND A FIRST FIBER ASSEMBLY GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CONTAINER ADJACENT SAID FIBER ASSEMBLY INLET, AND A SECOND FIBER ASSEMBLY GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CONTAINER ADJACENT THE FIBER ASSEMBLY OUTLET, AND WHEREIN SAID FIRST FIBER ASSEMBLY GUIDE MEANS AND SAID SECOND FIBER ASSEMBLY GUIDE MEANS ARE SO MOUNTED RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO SAID TREATING CHAMBER THAT THE ELONAGTED TEXTILE FIBER ASSEMBLY DOES NOT CONTACT THE WALLS OF SAID TREATING CHAMBER WHILE PASSING FROM SAID FIRST FIBER ASSEMBLY GUIDE MEANS TO SAID SECOND FIBER ASSEMBLY GUIDE MEANS. 